Little Gustave
by Bellatrix28
Summary: "Clarke." "Yes?" "Would you like to meet my cat?" Lexa asked. Set after season 2. Canon-ish, but will most likely be canon-divergent once Season 3 comes out. Clexa-ish. Fluff-ish. A lot of -ish. But, surprisingly, not gutter-ish - so get your mind out of there ;)
1. Chapter 1

"Clarke."

"Yes?" The blonde broke off her conversation with Nyko and turned around to face Lexa.

"Would you like to meet my cat?"

Clarke gave a glance back to Nyko, forgetting that he wasn't Raven or Octavia... someone who would give her a look back with some raised eyebrows or knowing smirk. Instead, the grounder just looked off into the distance as though he had no right to be overhearing their conversation.

"Sure," Clarke said hesitantly. She noticed Lexa's shoulders and face relax considerably. Ever since the commander walked away from Mount Weather and Clarke, and the kiss, it had been a little tense between them. It had taken her a while to realize that she could have easily come to the same decision to save dozens of her own people. It's not really something they've talked about out loud, though. It's mostly been communicated through looks. A look of _I'm sorry. _And a look of _I understand... _not _I forgive you,_ but _I understand why._

"This way then," and she started to slowly walk back to the direction she came from, waiting for Clarke to come abreast of her. They started to wind their way through the brick and wood houses of Polis.

!OvO!

Polis was still a maze to Clarke, so she followed Lexa's lead when a turn would be made, but she did notice that they were heading in the direction of the commander's house.

"Have you heard how we know who the next commander is?"

"I haven't, but I've been wondering."

They continued walking forward as the brunette started to explain. "We believe that once the current host's fight is over the commander's spirit enters the Spirit Realm for a certain amount of time – it is different every time. Because of the variation, it is not as simple as selecting the next child born to Trigedakru. Each newborn is noted for the next year after the commander has died. When the youngest turns six the selection is done with those still alive."

Lexa paused to lift her arm to indicate turning to the left – Clarke's side. Clarke recognized that they were now going in a different direction than Lexa's house, which was nearby.

Clarke wondered what sort of selection process was done – imagining battles to the death or some feats of strength and fitness. The blonde hummed to show she was listening and wanted to hear more.

"They took us out to an ancient city where the plants had reclaimed their land, but there was still corpses of the buildings. Our challenge was to catch a cat – just a house cat that had become feral after the Great War, " she clarified as she noticed Clarke's shocked expression. The blonde had been thinking of the big black cat that attacked them when getting Jasper from the tree. "The first child to bring a cat back to the general is deemed to have the commander's spirit."

Lexa started to slow down in front of a wood building that was relatively large compared to the other houses. On the right side of it there were holes in the wood placement towards the roof - to allow sunlight in, Clarke guessed. There were two front doors; Lexa opened the one to the right and held it open for the blonde.

Inside this half of the house were a menagerie of boxes, cubbyholes, climbing posts, blankets and beds made out of different kinds of fur. And the cats! There were so many cats. The blonde had no idea how many were in the room, but guessed at least 30 were visible.

"What is this place?" the blonde couldn't help but ask.

"It is usually referred to as The Cat Lady's House – she lives in the other half," Lexa replied while pointing to the left, where Clarke noticed the only door on that side of the room. "She kept getting more cats so she had this building made especially to house herself and the growing number of cats she took care off. But not all of these cats are hers. She has become a caretaker of sorts. When people leave for war, battles, or other things they often leave them here and she takes care of them. And some people, like me, leave them here during the day so they can enjoy the company of other cats while we are busy."

Clarke started to chuckle. There were _so many_ cats. She couldn't believe anyone could take care of so many or why they would want to – it didn't smell the greatest. There were several cats on high perches and three lean cats working their way up different posts. A couple others were drinking from a small tub of water in a far corner. In the back wall was a small hole near the floor, allowing the cats to get in and out of the building.

As she took in the room, the blonde could feel Lexa's eyes on her. She turned to see the commander giving her a faint smile.

"I... we didn't have any pets on the Ark, unless you count some people taking care of plants and fungi," she tried to explain her awe. Lexa's smile just grew a little bit.

"Then Gustave will be the first you will meet."

"Do they... bite or scratch?" Clarke asked hesitantly, remembering how the large black cat had attacked her and her companions.

Lexa's lips twitched into a slight smirk. "Gustave won't. Some might, though. If you make relatively nice cats angry then they may even if they usually would not. But Gustave won't; he may have started out feral, but he's a natural at being domestic," she reassured. "Gustave," she started to call. "Gustave!"

Somewhere forward and to the right, they heard a meow-groan.

Clarke noticed Lexa let out a soft sigh.

"He is not going to come," she said under her breath.

The commander started her way towards where they heard the sound, carefully picking her way through the cats. Clarke followed, noticing Lexa making her way to a group of cats lying on a pile of furs. Lexa stopped and sat on top of a large platform/cubbyhole that was near these cats.

"Gustave," she called one more time.

The fattest cat Clarke had ever seen – the fattest cat in the room – slowly started to stand up and stretch from the middle of the furs. He looked at Lexa, then took his time making his way to her. The gray cat sat in front of her and let out a soft _meow_.

Lexa picked him up, sat him on her lap, and began to pet him. He began to purr. Clarke noticed that Lexa looked the most relaxed she had ever seen her.

"You can pet him," Lexa said – the lift of her eyebrows saying, _if you want to_.

Clarke took the couple of steps forward and her left arm reached out towards the cat. Gustave's head reached out to inspect the new person's limb. Clarke froze.

"It's fine," the brunette reassured. "He likes being pet." And it was fine. Gustave continued to examine Clarke's hand and wrist until her fingers reached his side and back. "Especially behind the ears." The blonde moved her hands to the back of his neck and behind his ears, where she had noticed Lexa petting just moments ago.

Lexa inclined her head to the side, indicating Clarke to sit... if she wanted to.

Clarke realized this is the closest she's been to Lexa since the commander left her at Mount Weather. She wasn't exactly sure how she felt about that, but after hesitating she sat next to Lexa.

The commander's right arm withdrew from Gustave's chest and the cat moved forward to sit on Clarke's lap.

"Oh Lord... he's heavy."

The faintest laugh came from the brunette, causing Clarke to look at her. Lexa shrugged. "Only the best food for _Little Gustave," _she lilted as she began rubbing his back.

Clarke raised a questioning eyebrow at her – this was definitely not the commander that she knew. Gustave started to purr and her attention was brought back to him. Though he was heavy, it was a comfortable weight, and she enjoyed the softness of his fur.

"He likes you."

Clarke could feel Lexa's green eyes on her again. She turned her head to meet them. "He probably likes everyone." She couldn't imagine the cat being anything other than cuddly.

"That is true." She paused. "He likes you more, though – I can tell."

"How?"

Animal behavior wasn't something that Clarke had spent much time studying. She didn't think it would be pertinent since the generation after her was mostly going to be dead when they were supposed to leave their space cage for Earth.

"Why wouldn't he?" Clarke's face asked the question again, not accepting the non-answer. "He doesn't purr like that with everyone he just has just met. Cats aren't exactly the most trusting animals, but he's calm and comfortable – the slow sway of his tail and his heavy eyelids," Lexa explained.

Gustave _did_ look like he could fall asleep at any moment. Clarke began to pet the side of his neck and different areas, seeing if it would change his demeanor at all. They fell into a comfortable silence, only the sounds of dozens of cats echoing inside the room.

"So, was _'_Little Gustave_,'" _Clarke couldn't help but lilt the name as she continued to pet the content cat, "ever... _thinner_?"

"Not that I know of."

And here Clarke had imagined an agile, young Lexa chasing a lean feline or having to outsmart a cat in some way, but now it looked more like she happened upon the large "feral" cat napping in an abandoned building with an easy source of food. She smiled and shook her head in disbelief at the commander.

"I had just turned six, Clarke."

!OvO!

**A.N.**

I hope you enjoyed reading.

I've never actually owned a cat, so hopefully everything is correct-ish in that area. And if any of the other things are against the canon of The 100, let me know – I tried to keep it in the canon universe, but I'm no expert on it. So I made up some names (the Great War) and stuff for things that don't seem to have any context in the show (yet).

Please review – I would love to know what you all think and your headcanons. Thanks and have an awesome day!


	2. Chapter 2: Wigglebottoms

**AN: **This chapter is dedicated to Castagna Wigglebottoms, my brother's dog. RIP.

I had originally planned on Little Gustave just being a one-off, but I've had some more ideas. There won't really be much plot direction. Any chapter I write will be like a little snapshot of what's happening, emotions, or insight into how Clarke and Lexa are getting to know each other better.

This chapter is a little angry at times. Everyone has bad days.

This does include Carmilla. For those that haven't seen the web-series... Carmilla is a vampire that can also turn into a black cat - not really a spoiler, haha. And I feel like Laura's name would be spelled Lara in this universe, so that is intentional.

Hopefully you all enjoy :)

_Little Gustave_

_Chapter 2: Wigglebottoms_

It was dusk as Clarke made her way through the houses of Polis with no destination in mind. She had finished dinner with her mother, friends, and fellow Arkers, not long before. It had ended up becoming another one of her quiet, and anger-ridden days. She wasn't sure how the people around her were still able to laugh, but she guessed it had partly to do with decisions they didn't have to make. Of course, Clarke wasn't the only one that had to make hard choices, but being involved with three mass murders was affecting her greatly – no matter the part she played in them. The fact that they were done in the name of war was not very consoling when she was left to her own thoughts.

It's probably a good thing the three instances have been changing her. _What sort of person would I be if it didn't affect me? _Clarke wondered.

She had subconsciously started walking towards the commander's quarters – logical since it was one of the farthest buildings from where the Arkers had set up, and she wanted space from all of them.

The blonde was pulled from her thoughts when she recognized the street to her left. The roads were nearly empty as everyone was heading home for the night. It was getting much colder now that the sun is down.

As she nears the edge of Polis she decides it's time to visit a new friend.

!OvO!

"...I don't know how they do it." The sound of her voice faded into near silence in the large room; it hadn't been much louder than a whisper in the first place. Her mouth and throat were dry. She realized this is more than she's talked in the last few days combined.

The large fur-ball in her lap rubbed his head against her stomach in his apparent agreement.

Clarke could barely see Gustave even though he was maybe two feet away from her face. There was only one candle lit in this side of The Cat Lady's House and it was at the opposite wall, near the door to the other side of the house. The gaps in the wood near the roof were not big enough to let in any significant starlight in, and the moon had yet to rise. But Clarke was starting to like the darkness; it allowed her to focus on the comforting, warm body in her lap.

Her back and rear are starting to become numb against the outer wall and the floor. The blonde had thought about borrowing a couple of furs to help make the floor and wall more comfortable, but all the ones she could see in the area appeared to be taken and she was hesitant to get in a possible fight with a cat when she couldn't see anything. But the back of a wood cubbyhole in front of her made it so she could stretch out her legs in order to have her knees make a comfortable ninety-degree angle and have her feet against the wood.

The outer door creaked slowly open, breaking her reverie. She squinted at the door, but was not able to see anything.

"Gustave," was the soft call. _It's Lexa, of course_, Clarke knows.

Gustave purrs and Clarke can feel the vibrations against her hands. His fur has been doing a nice job of keeping her hands warm. The blonde starts to hear footsteps, but notices them walking away from her – to the left when entering the room. Soon the candle is obscured for a moment before there are two candles lit in the room. Clarke can now see Lexa's face due to the candle that the commander is holding in front of her. She looks tired, Clarke notes.

"Gustave." The cat _meows_ and Clarke knows it's only a matter of time.

Clarke waits longer than expected for Lexa to notice her.

The brunette is surprised by Clarke being with Gustave. It's a look that Clarke has never seen on Lexa's face before, but it doesn't last long before it morphs into weariness and anxiety.

"I can leave," Lexa says.

"You can stay," the blonde replies softly towards Gustave.

"Sorry, what?" Some of the anxiety lifts.

Clarke is annoyed that Lexa is making her repeat it. "I said, 'you can stay.'" Louder this time, even though Clarke is quite certain she was heard the first time.

"Are you sure? You seem annoyed."

Clarke gives her a dirty look. Lexa feigns ignorance of it's meaning with a questioning eyebrow.

"You can leave if you want – you are good at it." Clarke wasn't going to play this game right now.

Clarke looks up just in time to see Lexa swallow hard, her face contorting as if she had been physically hurt. Lexa turns her head away for a moment before speaking. "I think... perhaps that might be best. Good night, Clarke. I am sure we will see each other soon." She starts walking back and blows out her candle.

The blonde continues to pet Gustave, thinking. She feels no relief in her own annoyance and anger by causing Lexa this pain. A few weeks ago she may have felt differently. "No. You can stay," she says, an almost command. If Clarke could have seen Lexa, who was almost to the outer door, she would have seen a surprised, raised eyebrow.

Lexa pauses for a moment, probably wondering if it's a good idea to stay.

Clarke can hear Lexa walking better than she can see her – her eyes not quite readjusted to the new dimness. But after a moment she can tell that Lexa isn't walking towards her.

"Where are you going?" Clarke calls out, annoyed.

"To re-light the candle."

"...Don't. The darkness is nice." Clarke hears Lexa stop moving. The brunette then starts walking back towards the outer door and then stops. "Please." The young leader is upset that she can't seem to keep it from spilling out of her mouth. She rolls her eyes at herself. _I'm too exhausted for this shit,_ she thinks.

"Of course, Clarke of the Sky People. Just let my eyes adjust – it is harder to walk away from the candle, and I would rather not trip over a cat."

There was a bit of an awkward silence for what felt like 10 minutes, but Clarke was sure was more like half of a minute. After which Clarke starts to hear Lexa continue making her way back to the entrance/exit and continue until close to the right wall – where it starts to become more of a maze between the two of them.

"Gustave." Again, he _meows_.

Clarke finds it interesting that Lexa would rather use the cat than herself in order to find the location, but she guesses it is a bit tense between them right now.

Lexa starts moving slowly again. After a few steps, "Gustave." A few more steps. "Gustave."

Clarke lets out a pained exhale. "We're over here."

Lexa can hear the irritation. She stops walking. "I know that, but you're hard to locate since _I cannot see_," she tried not to seethe, but a small part of her kind of finds it funny.

"Fine. I'll keep talking so you can make your way over her." Pause. "Over here, over here." Almost singing. "Can you _hear_ my voice over _here_? ...I don't know what else to say. Where are you?" Clarke's talking made her lose her ability to hear Lexa walking.

"Almost there." Clarke guessed she was just three meters away from her. Now that Lexa was getting closer between the direct path of Clarke and the far away light source, Clarke could see a substantial shadow moving towards her. "It's a pretty clear path from where you are at. Or, at least it was when you were here with the candle. ...I've noticed that cats can be extremely quiet."

Lexa reaches them. She pauses before slowly seating herself next to Clark's feet – mirroring the blonde with her back against the cubbyhole and her feet against the wall.

Some silence.

"Do you want him?" Nicer.

Lexa knows she's talking about Gustave. "No, it is okay, he seems comfortable where he is at."

More silence.

"Sorry, I really didn't know you were in here..."

"Really, it's okay." Clarke sighs, deciding to come a little bit clean, feeling bad for using Lexa's cat, and finding it easier to talk in the darkness with no soul-searching eyes on her. "I just needed to talk to someone, but didn't really feel like talking to _anyone_."

Lexa knew she wasn't talking about her. "You have come to the right place then. Gustave is a great listener. ...Not the best on feedback though." Clarke could hear her smile at the end of it. The atmosphere is starting to lift between them.

Clarke's brain-to-mouth filter doesn't seem to be working that well. "Do you come hear often?"

It took Clarke's brain a second to realize where she knew that saying. She had heard it in old movies (back when there were just 2 dimensional), usually happening when someone was trying to flirt with a stranger they had just met. It wasn't really a saying on the ark; the ark is relatively small, so of course most people went to most places often, and everyone knew just about everyone to begin with. Her film teacher had to explain the saying to them and went into Ark history about how the saying died out after everyone got sick of being reminded how they used to be on Earth with freedom to roam around. But once she did realize where she knew it from, she started to _uhhhhh_ softly for a moment before Lexa replied.

"Yes. More so in the last couple of years." Pause. "...he _is_ a good listener." She repeats, this time Clarke can hear more emotion in her voice.

"Sorry I took your ears." Clarke could feel Lexa giving her a look. "You know what I mean."

"It's okay, Clarke of the Sky People. Like I said the other day, he likes you."

Clarke has started to notice that Lexa is still calling her "of the Sky People." It annoys her.

"Lexa, please stop calling me that."

"What?"

"'Clarke _of the Sky People_." No response. "At least when it's just the two of us."

"Okay."

Clarke hears a _harumph_ come from Lexa. A cat has stealthily jumped in her lap. Clarke feels Lexa rock into her legs momentarily.

Lexa _hums_ in thought as she tries to figure out which cat it is.

"Must be Carmilla Wigglebottoms."

"Huh?"

"I didn't name her that, Lara did," she answers quickly, obviously feeling a bit embarrassed.

Clarke ignores the easy path of making Lexa more self-conscious. "Who's Lara?"

"...Oh, right," Lexa says, realizing Clarke doesn't know. "She is the so-called 'Cat Lady' that lives on the other side of the wall. Well, her and Carmilla. I guess Carmilla must be back from her latest adventure," she says the last sentence kind of quietly.

"Uh, yeah, she's right in your lap."

"Well, Wigglebottoms is in my lap, I was referring to the person-Carmilla... Lara's partner. Sometimes one or both of them will go away on adventures for a week or two, usually Carmilla just goes by herself though. Whenever she is away Wigglebottoms always seems to go with her."

"Why would they also name the cat Carmilla?"

"It is typical to name a cat after someone you love or someone who is important to you." Clarke thinks about what must go into naming a pet in the Grounder custom. Lexa continues, "...Old legends say that cats have nine lives. I think we started naming them after loved ones because we hoped they could also have nine lives."

"I think I remember learning about that... the 'legends' part of it. Is it true that they always land on their feet?"

"Yes, at least in all my tests."

"Lexa!" shrilled Clarke in disbelief.

"What? You can't just trust everything someone tells you, it's good to verify – sometimes a must."

_Like what you did to Kane and Jaha to know we were serious about peace_, Clarke thought, feeling like she's starting to understand Lexa a little bit more each time they talk.

"Besides, they did not seem to mind much... just some of them have not come around me for the last 7 or so years..." Clarke chuckled softly, then silence, except for the random cat noises, filled the room for a few seconds. "Carmilla, sit! ...I do believe this is why she was given the nickname 'Wigglebottoms'." She continued talking to the cat, "Find a comfortable spot and stay."

Clarke heard a surprised _ouch_, but then it seemed like Carmilla Wigglebottoms had finally found a comfortable spot.

"Wigglebottoms isn't known to be the nicest cat, but we generally get along. When she's in Polis, she often joins in on my discussions with Gustave."

"How many cats do Lara and Carmilla have?" a random question to keep the conversation going.

"I have no idea, but I think seven – Wigglebottoms included. They're the only cats regularly allowed into their living space."

"It's nice of them to do this... provide for all these animals."

"Yes, they are really nice people. Often times, when I'm here early enough in the day, they will invite me to have dinner with them. They seem concerned with how people are doing around them – even Carmilla, though most people think she's broody and rude. _Ouch!_"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, fine. Carmilla just extended her claws into my stomach for a second." The commander is a bit irritated with the black cat, but starts talking to the cat again, "Geez, Carmilla, I said most people, not me included."

Silence falls upon them once again; this time Clarke breaks it.

"So... How was your day?"

"It was... long."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Knowing that wouldn't be enough for Clarke, because apparently she wants more details, Lexa continues, "I met with Raven for a long time. We mostly talked about resources of the nearby lands and what materials houses and instruments can be built from. ...There seems to be a bit of a... language barrier, for lack of better words, at times. It was getting frustrating."

"I'm not sure if it was all the language barrier, she can be wearisome at times. And when she does mechanic-speak it is practically another language."

"Speaking of Raven...sort of...," Lexa pauses, thinking about how to continue. "I am sorry I made you mad when I came in here. I did hear what you said, though just barely. ...I was just joking with you. Or, as Raven told me today, sometimes it's called _sar-cass-um_."

Clarke chuckles slightly as she continues to pet Gustave. "Sounds like you got a lot of Hardass-Mechanic Raven today."

"Indeed."

"Well, you did start going through the process of killing her when you thought she had tried to poison you."

"You do not need to remind me, she has done so enough already." Pause. "You two seem to get along well, though. I bet it helps that you saved her."

"Not necessarily. ...Finn was hers first." Clarke thought back to the first couple of weeks on Earth. It was less than three months ago, but it felt like years. "We thought we were all going to die down here, or, if we didn't, then those on the ark would die in space. And... you know how the rest of it went."

"Sounds complicated."

"It is. I think we've been getting passed that, though, so there is hope."

"Until things get easier, I guess Gustave will be getting an ear-full from the both of us."

Clarke laughs, and she knows it brings a slight smile to Lexa's face though she can't see it. "Yeah, probably."

"Good thing he just sleeps through most of it... lazy cat."

"You are not allowed to talk about _Little Gustave _that way. Apologize."

Clarke hears Lexa laugh for the first time. It was tiny and quiet, but it happened. They both were surprised by how the conversation has turned to such lightness.

"You don't know him as well as I do."

The blonde notices Lexa's speech has become a little less stiff at times.

"Oh, _Little Gustave,_ she doesn't mean that," Clarke tells the cat. Gustave lets out a impromptu snore in reply.

"Yes, I do. While we are at it... Wigglebottoms is a better listener than Gustave. She doesn't seem to fall asleep all the time when I'm talking."

"Shhhhh. Gustave, she's lying, don't believe her."

"Clarke, he's asleep, he can't hear you."

**AN:**

layers. and reading between the lines.

Let me know if there's any mistakes. Critiques welcome.

This is written more from Clarke's POV, so hopefully some of Lexa's thoughts and emotions are able to come through, even though Clarke isn't able to see her most of the time to interpret them for herself.

This ended up being so much longer than expected. I have a couple more ideas for chapters (one of which will include more Carmilla and Lara). If anyone has any requests, feel free to make them, but I'm also not promising anything.


End file.
